WHAT IS SHAKESPEARE'S LEGACY? WHERE DO WE FIND SHAKESPEARE'S INFLUENCES EVEN TODAY? WHERE IS SHAKESPEARE IN MODERN POP CULTURE? WHAT IN OUR EVERYDAY LIVES ARE REFERENCES OR ALLUSIONS TO SHAKESPEARE? WHAT DEBT DO WE OWE TO SHAKESPEARE IN OUR CULTURE, LANGUAGE, LITERATURE, AND ART?

Answer prepared by:Molly M.
Shakespeare we know what he has done and his life, but the question comes how do we see him today. What is Shakespeare legacy and how large is it today? First of all this project shows that people still remember him and we study him today. What else is he a part of today and why is it when you walk down the school hallway, you will see many projects related to Shakespeare.
Shakespeare, a man that created so many famous plays must have a hard time creating them but the complex word choice was even more complicated. Shakespeare even created his own words and language, which we still use today. In his lifetime, Shakespeare created over 1,500 different words and phrases. Here is a list of some of the most common words used today.


Accused, besmirch, generous, addiction, bet, gloomy, alligator, blanket, hush, amazement, champion, jaded, anchovies, cow, laughable, assassination, dialogue, Lonely, bandit, dislocate, madcap, bedroom, drug, majestic, bump, dwindle, engagement
Buzzer, elbow, excitement, critic, film, eyeball, dawn, forward, fixture, design, eventful, glow, embrace, fashionable, gust, cake, frugal, hint, gossip, lower, numb, leapfrog, partner, petition, luggage, puke, reword, manager, secure, submerge, mimic, torture, auspicious, ode, bloodstained, blushing, outbreak, disgraceful, Olympian, pedant, radiance, rival, questioning, splitting, stealthy, retirement, traditional, tranquil, switch, unmitigated, unreal, tardiness, varied, worthless, urging, yelping, tightly, watchdog, unaware, hobnob, wormhole, jet, grovel, Jig, label

Shakespeare in his plays used over 20,000 words, when an average person knew less than 1,000. He also created many phrases that we use today. Here is a list of some of the most common used phrases.

Break the ice (The Tempest)
Cruel to be kind (Hamlet)
Too much of a good thing (As You Like it)

Wild-goose chase (Romeo and Juliet)
Breathed his last (3 Henry VI)
Cold comfort (The Taming of the Shrew/ King John)
Dead as a doornail (2 Henry VI)
Eaten me out of house and home (2 Henry VI)
Elbow room (King John)
Faint hearted (1 Henry VI)
Fancy-Free (Midsummer Night’s Dream)
The game is afoot (1 Henry IV)
Good riddance (Troilus and Cressida)
Heart of gold (Henry V)
In a pickle (Hamlet)
It is but so-so (As You Like it)
Kill wit kindness (Taming of the Shrew)
Laughing Stock (The Merry Wives of Windsor)
Knock knock! Who’s there? (Macbeth)

A recreation of Romeo and Juliet.
Back when Shakespeare’s plays were new, they where a must see. They still are a must see and they are still preformed, all over the world at so many levels; our school is even putting on a play by Shakespeare. A man named Herbert Beerbohm Tree was a famous spectacular, who preformed
Beerbohm_tree_wolsey_1910.jpg
Herbert Beerbohm Tree
Shakespeare’s plays in his own unique way. Shakespeare’s plays also have been transformed into many different kinds of media and art. Now one kind of media is music in the form of musical and operas; for example Kiss Me Kate, retelling the story “The Taming of the Shrew” and West Side Story, retelling “Romeo and Juliet”. In cartoons the first was created in 1990 it was after Midsummer Night’s Dream; created for kid to watch and learn about Shakespeare’s wonderful play. In 1956 a movie called “Forbidden Planet” placed in outer space where men crash their ship on a strange planet. The movie is actually taken from “The Tempest”, a play the Shakespeare wrote(see bottom for summary).
Disney also has taken Shakespeare’s Midsummer Night’s Dream and made their own version by replacing the characters in the Midsummer Night’s Dream with the famous Disney characters. Even the Beatles have created a version of Midsummer Night’s Dream. Commercials also use Shakespeare’s plays, like Levi’s jean commercial by using the love connection between Bottom and Titania in the Midsummer Night’s Dream; the jeans represent the love flower.

Every year there is a large amount of celebrations all around the world celebrating what Shakespeare did for the world. The biggest celebration must be the one in Stratford-upon-Avon. This celebration began when many tourists started to come and see where the wonderful writer grew up. A man names David Garrick decided tosignShakespeareFestival24.jpg have a celebration he called it the Shakespeare Jubilee. The first one in 1769 was rained out but it still has been happening till this day. There is also a celebration in Stratford, Ontario it is called the Shakespeare Festival. The first festival was in 1953; it was a birthday celebration. Everyone at one of these parties, talks about Shakespeare, eats big meals, and has a lot of fun. Another celebration is held in the Folger Shakespeare library. There are many celebrations in this place because the library is their to show the life of Shakespeare, so there is a celebration every important date of Shakespeare’s life. There are many more celebrations that happen almost every day in some place of the world.

Shakespeare is seen in so many places today that it is hard to count them all. So next time you read a newspaper, watch TV, or take a walk; look for little things that have Shakespeare in it and you will be amazed on how many items that Shakespeare has influenced.


Summary of The Tempest:
King Alonso of Naples and his entourage sail home for Italy after attending his daughter Claribel's wedding in Tunis, Africa. They encounter a violent storm, or Tempest. Everyone jumps overboard and are washed ashore on a strange island inhabited by the magician Prospero who has deliberately conjured up the storm. Prospero is in fact the rightful Duke of Milan who had been put to sea to die with his three-year-old daughter Miranda by his brother, Antonio who was in league with of King Alonso.
Prospero and Miranda live in a cave on the island which is also inhabited by Ariel, a sprite who carries out the bidding of Prospero, and the ugly, half human Caliban. Caliban deeply resents Prospero as he believes that he is the rightful ruler of the island. He plots with some of King Alonso's company to murder Prospero. Miranda and Ferdinand fall deeply in love. Ariel rebukes King Alonso for his previous plotting against Prospero. More plots against Prospero are developed but they fail thanks to his magic. The play ends with all offenders repenting, even Caliban. Prospero regains his dukedom, Ariel calms the Tempest and everyone, except Caliban, leaves the island.
The themes discussed in the Tempest are freedom, friendship , repentance and forgiveness.

Taken From Linda Alchin

The Forbidden Planet

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Works Cited


Alchin, Linda. " Summary of the plot or story." The Tempest the play by William Shakespeare. N.p., February 1, 2007. Web. 10 Apr 2010. <http://www.william-shakespeare.info/shakespeare-play-the-tempest.htm>.

Chrisp, Peter. Shakespeare. New York, New York: DK Publishing inc, 2002. Print.

Ingreen, Robert, and Michel Rosen. Shakespeare His Work & His World. Cambridge, Massachusetts: Candle Wick Press, 2006. Print.

Laroque, Francois. The Age of Shakespeare. Abrams, New York: Abrams, inc, 1993. Print.

"Shakespeare's Birthday Open House." Folger Shakespeare Library. Folger Shakespeare Library, April 21, 2000. Web. 2 Apr 2010. <http://www.folger.edu/Content/Copyright/Childrens-Privacy

" Words and Phrases Coined by Shakespeare ." The Pathology Guy. N.p., March 2, 2010. Web. 28 Mar 2010. <http://www.pathguy.com/shakeswo.htm>.